Lions International Youth Exchange 2003
Qualifying Competition:
Environmental Project Reports Competition
Theme: “Safeguarding our Heritage: A Clean Victoria Harbour”
Belilios Public School
Cheung Kar Yan Tammy
4K (9)
A Project Report on
“Safeguarding our Heritage: A Clean Victoria Harbour”
The Pearl of the Orient
The beautiful and superb scenery of the Victoria Harbour is unsurpassed in the world. This was particularly so after I have done some traveling around the world and compared the other world famous harbours with our own. No doubt The Victoria Harbour is so well known to the world as the symbol of Hong Kong – the Pearl of the Orient. In the day time, I could see the advanced level of technology beside her. At night, it would change into black clothing intermingled with numerous diamonds, creating a romantic atmosphere totally different from that in the day time.
The Victoria Harbour provides a gorgeous scenery for us to appreciate. She also protects ships and boats from stormy weather. She is the symbol of Hong Kong which is famous in the world. Looking back on its history, the Victoria Harbour had supported our livelihood by providing a fishing industry, entrepot trade, container port facilities, typhoon shelter, recreational facilities and an attractive scenic place for tourists.
A brief history of development
The history of Hong Kong actually revolved around the Victoria Harbour. The British Government had chosen Hong Kong to be its colony because it saw the advantage of the natural harbour which would be ideal for anchoring ships. Since then, Hong Kong became an important port of call for international shipping. It became an important center for the importing and exporting of goods to and from China. This entrepot trade thrived until the Korean War after which Hong Kong began to develop its own industries. Owing to the need for importing raw materials for manufacturing industries and exporting manufactured goods, Hong Kong began to develop into an international port with advanced port facilities. We are proud to boast of our container ports which can handle large numbers of containers every year, making Hong Kong one of the top ranking ports in the world.
On the other hand, there is a less busy face to the Victoria Harbour. On Sundays, you can observe a number of pleasure boats and yachts sailing leisurely in the Harbour, making it even more picturesque. Tourists from other countries would never miss the important itinerary of cruising in the beautiful Victoria Harbour. Others would like to look at it and admire its beauty from the Peak.
Problems facing
However, owing to rising population, high level of technology and rapid urbanization, our heritage is put under danger. As there is an acute shortage of land for development, more land was reclaimed from the sea around the Harbour. Moreover, the pollution of solid and liquid wastes became more serious. The area of the Harbour had shrunk and boat accidents became more common. Marine life was also affected, and every now and then there were reports of dead white dolphins being washed up the shore.
However, the problem of pollution has risen not only from within Hong Kong, but also from outside Hong Kong. After 1 July 1997, people in Hong Kong and the other parts of Mainland China developed expanded economic links between both sides of the Shenzhen River. Unfortunately, there are numerous redundant infrastructure projects being planned or being implemented in the Pearl River Delta which would result in unnecessary damage to the natural environment. Recently, the proposal for building a Zhuhai-Hong Kong Lingdingyang Bridge of 40 km in length linking up Jinding Town of Zhuhai, Qi'ap Island, Inner Lingding Island and Black Point of Hong Kong would inevitably lead to environmental pollution in the Pearl River Delta.
There were widespread outbreaks of red tide in the coast of Hong Kong and Guangdong Province during March to April 1998. Red tide was often regarded as a natural phenomenon which was triggered by the changes in seawater temperature, salinity and solar illumination, and a recent scientific research also reveals that it is an outcome of coastal pollution with the extensive discharges of biologically available nitrogen and phosphates from sewage. Hence, the recent red tide raised the deep concerns from the general public about the problems of increasing water pollution between Hong Kong SAR and the Guangdong Province that share the common waters of the South China Sea.
Solutions – Internal
As the Victoria Harbour has provided so many benefits and advantages to the local people, we have to safeguard this heritage. Reclamation works should be put under control, particularly for the two major projects along the waterfront that could drastically alter the nature of the harbour, i.e., the Central and Wanchai reclamation project and the old Kai Tak Airport Redevelopment plan. Also, there should be proper town planning. The land use of the precious urban areas should be well planned so that less reclamation is needed. Thus it can reduce the reclamation works taking place in the Harbour. Untreated sewage should not be discharged into the Harbour and stricter laws should be enforced to prevent people from throwing litter into the water of the Harbour. Young people need to be educated about environment conservation and about the harmful effects of pollution. They should learn to appreciate and treasure their heritage and help keep the Harbour a clean and pleasant place to be shared by all people.
Solutions – External
Moreover, with the return of sovereignty to China in 1997, it is unwise for Hong Kong to limit its attention to the 1,080 km2 of territory. Hong Kong should extend its environmental vision to incorporate the various environmental measures of neighbouring cities into an integrated framework. Infrastructure development and environmental protection in Hong Kong cannot stand alone without taking into account those efforts made by other parts of the Mainland. Only by means of more cooperation and understanding may the SAR obtain mutual benefits in economic development and environmental protection with other cities in the region.
The Victoria Harbour has brought many invaluable benefits to Hong Kong. We must make sure we could pass on this heritage to our future generations. The longevity of this natural resource is now in our hands and we must adopt every remedial measure and use the right medicine to revitalize this weakening old heritage.
The area of development around the Victoria Harbour
The planned area for reclamation
There were limited coastal lowlands around the Victoria Harbour and they were quickly occupied by buildings in the beginning of the 20th century. As urbanization continued, more lands were reclaimed from the sea for the building of high-rise commercial buildings which concentrated in the central business district.
From these past and present pictures of the Victoria Harbour taken from the Victoria Peak, one can see the enormous scale of land reclamation and city development around the Harbour.
References
- Environmental Protection Department(1997), Environment Hong Kong 1997-
Help Us Make a Better World, Printing Department, Hong Kong
- Yeh G.O. (ed.)(1996), Planning: Hong Kong for the 21st Century, Centre of Urban Planning & Environmental Management, University of Hong Kong
- Ho K.C. and Man C.S.- Red Tides and Unplanned Infrastructure: The Need for Joining Hands in Achieving Sustainable Development in the Pearl River Delta
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